--- title: "Zachary M. Hillman | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/zachary-m-hillman" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Zachary M. Hillman Massachusetts District Court · Associate Justice ## Profile - Court: Massachusetts District Court - State: Massachusetts - Role: Associate Justice - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Associate Justice of the Massachusetts District Court beginning in 2021 after serving as General Counsel in the Administrative Office of the District Court and as an Assistant District Attorney in Suffolk County. - Prior to his judicial appointment, he held the role of General Counsel for the Administrative Office of the District Court from 2017, advising the Chief Justice, justices, and clerks on complex legal matters, legislation, and ethics - Before joining the Administrative Office, Hillman served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Appeals Unit of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office from 2008 to 2017. - He also held the role of a Superior Court law clerk from 2007 to 2008 - Judge Zachary Hillman currently serves as the First Justice of the Worcester District Court and as Regional Administrative Justice for Region 5 - During this time, he argued over 90 appeals in the Massachusetts Appeals Court and Supreme Judicial Court, drafted and argued post-conviction motions, and tried multiple Superior Court cases as lead or second chair counsel ### Education - Suffolk University Law School in — J.D. (2007) - Bachelor’s degree from Plymouth State College in 2003 ### Additional information - He is a member of the Worcester County Bar Association, the Massachusetts Law Review, and has served on the Appellate Bench-Bar Committee since 2015. - Nominated to Massachusetts Appeals Court June 10, 2026 - In June 2026, Governor Maura Healey nominated him to the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the state’s intermediate appellate court, which reviews decisions from trial courts across various legal matters. - Initially appointed to the Massachusetts District Court in 2021 by Governor Charlie Baker, replacing Maurice Flynn. - He has also participated in community outreach and legal education programs, including volunteer teaching with Discovering Justice - Hillman has received high praise for his legal work, including commendation from the late SJC Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants, who noted his integrity and professionalism in appellate practice. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### remote hearings Scope: courtwide Massachusetts District Court lists specified non-evidentiary, scheduling, status, civil-management, and other proceedings that may be held remotely unless the presiding judge or clerk-magistrate orders otherwise. Evidence excerpt: The following events may be held remotely unless otherwise ordered by a judge or clerk-magistrate [Joint Standing Order 1-26: Order on remote court hearings](https://www.mass.gov/districtmunicipal-court-rules/joint-standing-order-1-26-order-on-remote-court-hearings) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### remote recording Scope: courtwide Photographing, recording, or electronically transmitting a Massachusetts District Court remote or hybrid hearing requires prior authorization from the supervising judge or clerk-magistrate. Evidence excerpt: No person shall take any photographs, or make any recording or transmission by electronic means, of a remote or hybrid court hearing, without prior authorization from the judge or clerk magistrate [Joint Standing Order 1-26: Order on remote court hearings](https://www.mass.gov/districtmunicipal-court-rules/joint-standing-order-1-26-order-on-remote-court-hearings) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### recording and photography Scope: statewide In Massachusetts courts, photography, recording, or electronic transmission in a courtroom or related judicial space requires prior authorization from the judge or magistrate supervising that place, subject to Rule 1:19's separate provisions for registered news media. Evidence excerpt: No person shall take any photographs, or make any recording or transmission by electronic means, in any courtroom, hearing room, office, chambers or lobby of a judge or magistrate without prior authorization [Supreme Judicial Court Rule 1:19: Electronic access to the courts](https://www.mass.gov/supreme-judicial-court-rules/supreme-judicial-court-rule-119-electronic-access-to-the-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/district-court-judges) - [Official roster](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/district-court-judges) - [Massachusetts Court System official judicial roster](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/district-court-judges) - [Joint Standing Order 1-26: Order on remote court hearings](https://www.mass.gov/districtmunicipal-court-rules/joint-standing-order-1-26-order-on-remote-court-hearings) - [Supreme Judicial Court Rule 1:19: Electronic access to the courts](https://www.mass.gov/supreme-judicial-court-rules/supreme-judicial-court-rule-119-electronic-access-to-the-courts) - [Governor Healey Makes Nominations to Appeals Court and District Court](https://www.mass.gov/news/governor-healey-makes-nominations-to-appeals-court-and-district-court) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/zachary-m-hillman", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/zachary-m-hillman", "name": "Zachary M. 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